Whoa whoa whoa WHOA...hang on here...Am I really seeing this?

[WilliamPitt]

Justice Dept. Sets Criminal Inquiry Into C.I.A. Tapes
By MARK MAZZETTI and DAVID JOHNSTON
Published: January 2, 2008

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey said Wednesday that the Justice Department had elevated its inquiry into the destruction of Central Intelligence Agency interrogation videotapes into a formal criminal investigation to be headed by an outside prosecutor.

The announcement is the first sign that investigators believe C.I.A. officers, possibly along with other government officials, may have committed criminal acts in their handling of the tapes, which depicted the interrogations in 2002 of two Al Qaeda operatives and were destroyed in 2005.

The tapes were never provided to the Sept. 11 commission or to the courts, and the question of whether to destroy them was for nearly three years the subject of deliberations at the highest levels of the Bush administration.

Mr. Mukasey assigned an outside investigator, a federal prosecutor from Connecticut, to lead the criminal inquiry in tandem with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The prosecutor, John H. Durham, is likely empanel a grand jury to hear testimony to determine whether there is enough evidence to bring criminal charges, which could include obstruction of justice.

As an outside prosecutor, Mr. Durham oversaw an investigation into the F.B.I.’s use of mob informants in Boston. He has been lead prosecutor in several successful corruption cases in Connecticut.

More: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/02/washington/02cnd-intel.html?_r=1&hp=&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1199314920-RsEHPhPx3i81I86I25dT7g

=====

JOHN H. DURHAM TO INVESTIGATE MISSING TORTURE TAPES; BUSH SAID TO PEE
Posted by Archer

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

All I know is, if I were being investigated by John H. Durham, I'd probably save him the trouble and commit suicide.

Durham is the First Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut. Durham shaves with a .45 and brushes his teeth with a wire grille brush. He is so incorruptible that when Angelina Jolie propositioned him he immediately jumped out of the window and deliberately fractured both his knees so he couldn't do anything. Then he called his wife and made her drive him to confession.

Okay, I made that up. But it's true that when the city of Boston got caught discovered that its FBI office was in bed with the mob and had been murdering people and framing other people for the murders, they called in John H. Durham. Within five minutes all the bad guys were in maximum security.

This pissed off the mob and they tried to kill Durham, but the cops loved Durham so much they volunteered by the dozen to stake out his house. Cops generally love Durham. Hell, even defense lawyers love Durham. He's Dudley Do-Right but somehow he manages not to be a jerk about it. Nobody can figure out how.

I hope when he is finished with this investigation the Capo goes to jail. Durham has never lost a case.

Of course he never had one in which the Capo could pardon himself, either.

http://lawyerworldland.blogspot.com/2008/01/john-h-durham-to-investigate-missing.html

[ShaneGR]

1. I knew a guy, who knew a guy, who got prosecuted by that guy!

Seriously though, I did hear about a friends friend who got busted in Boston in a federal probe.

[Subdivisions]

I'll take your word for it, Will and I just want to add:

Sweeeeeet!

[AntiFascist]

2. K&R..........n/t

[babylonsister]

3. Yep. Ain't it grand?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2573952

[Bumblebee]

4. He is a Republican, though -- WP

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/02/AR2008010202060.html?hpid=topnews

He is a registered Republican, according to Connecticut voter records.

[Horse with no Name]

9. So was Fitzgerald. n/t

[H2O Man]

26. No.

Patrick Fitzgerald is not now, nor has ever been, a republican.

[Horse with no Name]

28. I thought I remembered reading that

maybe because he was republican-appointed.
Mea Culpa.

[Junkdrawer]

30. Self delete - posted wrong spot

[H2O Man]

31. You could have read

it, because some people on DU have claimed that numerous times. However, it is not true.

[Horse with no Name]

33. I *did* get that information here

:blush:

[H2O Man]

38. I think that

a couple people who had an agenda that included spreading misinformation started that rumor on DU. After seeing it a few rimes, a number of good people believed it. Sadly, that is the way that disinformation campaigns work.

[AntiFascist]

81. There is a deeper issue, but I can't speak to its validity...

some claim that Fitzgerald became compromised in the investigation of the '93 bombing of the WTC.

[H2O Man]

87. That is something

that I do not consider to be serious.

[myrna minx]

53. Here is a very interesting 2005 WP about Fitzgerald that discusses his

background. I'm excerpting the portion about his lack of political affiliation, but the whole article is quite interesting.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A55560-2005Feb1

Fitzgerald is careful to be apolitical in his targets and his public life alike. He registered to vote as an Independent in New York, only to discover, when he began receiving fundraising calls, that Independent was a political party. He re-registered with no affiliation, as he did later in Chicago.

He spit fire last year when reporters asked whether the racketeering indictment of Muhammad Hamid Khalil Salah, a fundraiser for the Islamic militant group Hamas, was timed to boost President Bush's reelection campaign. The case was trumpeted first by Attorney General John Ashcroft.

"I am not running for an election. I'm not part of a political party," Fitzgerald said at the time. "The election is irrelevant to this case. The reason we brought this case now is we're ready to proceed."

Nor has Fitzgerald signaled where his own ambitions lie. He insists that he has already advanced further than his imaginings, but he is clearly aware of his emerging star status. Asked about the notion of becoming FBI director after Robert Mueller, another prosecutor who quit private practice to put bad guys behind bars, he laughs. "That's probably Director Mueller when he's having a bad day, trying to unload it on somebody else."

He did not say he was uninterested, just that he is not thinking beyond his current job.

In the high-profile Chicago job, he still works killer hours and he chairs the attorney general's advisory panel on terrorism. And while he will not publicly discuss details of love, politics or religion, others say his social life has improved, along with his apartment. "It's a really nice place. My wife walked in and said, 'I know Pat's got a girlfriend,' " says Comey. "Fitz wouldn't know eggshell from burnt orange, but he's got a life."

[madrchsod]

56. he was appointed by the republican senator- same name-fitzgerald

to clean democratic machine in illinois instead he brought down the republican machine. he`s finally getting around to taking down the democrats starting with the governor.

[Bumblebee]

29. I also seem to remember he was an Independent.

[AZ Criminal JD]

62. How do you know what he is?

There is no party registration in Illinois.

[H2O Man]

66. Most of his life

has not been spent in Illinois.

[AZ Criminal JD]

67. Good point

I have been following his investigations in Illinois for so long it just seems like forever.

[snot]

72. Pls forgive me, but regardless, I do wish he'd gotten more results. nt

[WilliamPitt]

10. So were Archie Cox, Eliot Richardson and William Ruckleshaus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Massacre

Just sayin'.

[Bumblebee]

13. True. I do hope he is in the same league.

[liberalnurse]

16. It is a step in the right direction.

Actually, I'm thrilled with enthusiasm...but trying to not get disappointed at the same time.:thumbsup: :woohoo:

[H2O Man]

61. And more recently,

Judge Reggie Walton. I can remember some people were concerned that because he was a conservative republican, he would favor Libby. I could appreciate why people were concerned then, and I do now, as well. But there are times when a conservative republican can be perfect for a specific situation. It depends on two things: the situation, and the individual.

[aquart]

22. There ARE honest Republicans.

Take note that the party isn't running them for office.

[Kablooie]

50. If I was an honest Republican, I'd want all the Republican criminals apprehended.

To clean house would be better for the party in the long run.

Unless there weren't any Republicans left, of course.

[sandyd921]

5. K&R!

Wow!

[Richard Steele]

6. O holee fuck! The opening of that second article! Bwahaha! K&R

[The Straight Story]

7. I passed out holding my breath for impeachment, I would probably do the same with this

:)

[H2O Man]

8. John Durham

is a serious man, Mr. Pitt. I am surprised the AG picked him.

You may remember him from the Boston case involving the FBI and mob. There is a book about the corruprion titled "Black Mass"; it focuses on the crimes before Reno put Mr. Durham on the case.

[WilliamPitt]

14. I've read it twice, and was here for all that stuff.

Yeah, the name is a familiar one.

Be sure to read both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald tomorrow. Give special emphasis to the Globe; they were the ones who did the best reporting on the Bulger/FBI scheme, and the two guys who wrote "Black Mass" were Globe journalists.

Interesting as Hell.

[Vincardog]

51. You did notice the limited scope of the investigation right? He isn't going to investigate

the illegal torture or rendering of people. He is not going to investigate the many frauds of the BCF. He is only going to investigate the burning of the tapes. What about the lies that there were no records? It is a start.

[WilliamPitt]

55. Yeah, I did.

That's why I asked.

Am I seeing this?

Apparently not. :banghead:

[Zorra]

64. Not good enough. A special counsel is needed on this one. n/t

[H2O Man]

68. In and of

itself, it is absolutely not enough.

[David Zephyr]

11. I think that Chuck Schumer will be vindicated with Mukasey

I stood up for Schumer and had my head handed to me here for my giving Chuck Schumer the benefit of the doubt on Mukasey.

Mukasey was the best we could have gotten from this President as A.G.

While this will not satisfy everyone, it is a good move and I'm welcoming it.

Thanks for the article.

[aquart]

25. I'll write my apology and put it safely away in a sealed envelope.

Yes. That's what I'll do.

[David Zephyr]

42. I think that's a fair thing to do.

:)

[H2O Man]

44. I do not have

a very high opinion of the Attorney General. Thus, I am surprised that he would select John Dunham. It is certainly possible that Mr. Mukasey was deserving of Senator Schumer's support.

While I assume that there are people who will look to make this into something other than a serious investigation, I am confident that Mr. Dunham is the best we could get from this Attorney General. This could become very interesting.

[redqueen]

12. I'm holding off on getting too excited till I understand the difference

between a "special" prosecutor and an "outside" prosecutor.

From what I've read here this person still reports to Mukasey, so... I'm not sure how much this is worth, really.

[Kurovski]

15. K&R. (nt)

[JackRiddler]

17. Good news, I guess. Looks like Mukasey's caught between them

the buck has to stop either with the CIA or the White House, and someone like Rodriguez must be threatening to protect himself and sing. Mukasey wants to survive 2009, so he's acting to get it out to somewhere where he can't be blamed for not investigating.

Please note that this paean to Durham is long on the metaphor, but let's hope it's even 50% true.

[ejbr]

18. Patrick Fitzgerald was supposed to be our man of justice

but somehow he felt it acceptable to let Rove lie to him four times before accepting his fifth testimony of "the truth". Nothing will stick to any of these assholes and nothing will be done about it.

[HERVEPA]

27. Ahhh, somebody else with a memory (nt)

[fascisthunter]

36. I Have to Admit

I have little faith in this system. I hope I am wrong.

[Gonnuts]

84. Call me cynical

Call me cynical but I can't see anyone Mukasey appoints to investigate anything doing anything that would harm this administration.

The article itself says that stonewalling is all but inevitable and if anything comes close to looking like indictments of higher-ups or impeachment might come to fruition look for a nice little orchestrated attack(s)from those there terrorists to take our minds off of justice and ratchet up the fear factor for the coming election.

Prediction: Jose Rodriquez falls on the sword and gets pardoned by W.

[SalmonChantedEvening]

19. Very nice :) K&R!!

Looks promising :D

[Dawggie]

20. Oh god, I hope so.

[louis-t]

21. Heard someone on the radio describe it like this:

"the list of possible defendants grows by the week. The seriousness of the crimes has already surpassed Watergate.." etc.

[old guy]

23. Interesting, but

until I actually see some results other than the usual BS, I'm going to reserve judgment.

[progressoid]

24. Whaaa?

:wow:

[choie]

32. hello?

Are we all forgetting who Mukasey is? The guy who would not give an opionion as to whether waterboarding is torture or not? There is no way this guy or this Justice Department, with all its Bush minions from Liberty Law School or wherever, will vigorously investigate the CIA.

[Bumblebee]

37. Here is another note of caution from the TPM:

There's some question about whether it is proper to call Durham an "outside counsel." He will not have the independence of Patrick Fitzgerald, for example, in the Plame investigation; rather, as acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, he will report to the deputy attorney general just like any other U.S. attorney. The U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Virginia has recused itself, presumably because most of the most important terrorism cases have been handled by that office.

http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/

[fascisthunter]

41. Ahhhhh..... How Convenient (nt)

[madrchsod]

57. sounds like he`s "going by the book"

i`ll go with the following the proper procedures for now...

[seafan]

77. Jonathan Turley: This guy's boss is the AG-->the WH. A different command structure needed!

Criminal Probe Opened Over CIA Tapes


This is the *catch* in an otherwise seemingly competent counsel--- John Durham will STILL report to the people he is investigating.

We won't be fooled again.


Chuck and Diane, that obviously doesn't apply to you.

[Junkdrawer]

34. I'm from Missouri... Show me...

Rudy was an "incorruptible" mob prosecutor too...

[stellanoir]

35. whoa is right

I naturally presumed it was gonna be one of these type of tiresomely predictable procedures.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=3121838&mesg_id=3121884

Pleased to possibly be wrong in this instance.

[JohnnyLib2]

39. Reading WilliamPitt's take gives me a little more hope.

And I do remember Cox, Richardson, et al. But, it's been such a long time since we saw honorable people in D.C.......

[SoCalDem]

40. The "investigation" will take more than 384 days to complete

and once September rolls around, people will forget all about it with the campaign frenzy..

the new president will feel pressure to "quit wasting money", and the whole thing will just fade away and we will all stare at the sunset, link arms and sing cumbaya :eyes:..like democrats have done since time began..they will forget and forgive and the criminals will slink back to texas and lick their wounds, only to return again..(hopefully after I am dead and gone :)..)

[rockybelt]

43. Me thinks that you hit ye olde nail on the head! nt

[onethatcares]

46. you took the words right outa my head

and we'll see headlines "investigators meet with congressional staff", "more time needed to complete investigation into....."

Delay/denie/delay/denie.......it's the way the game is played.

[global1]

45. *Co Wouldn't Have Allowed This If They Didn't Already Know That.....

some underling is going to take the rap.

[McCamy Taylor]

47. The SP will indict CIA agents for obstruction of justice per Cheney's orders as payback for Scooter

and that is all he will do. There will be absolutely zero accountability by the White House. I am sure that they didn't pick this guy without making sure that they had something they could hold over his head--like blackmail material or a strong desire for a federal judge appointment.

Dream on, if you are dreaming that this prosecutor is going to do justice. His job is to get revenge for Cheney and to muddy the CIA's name so that the NeoCons can throw doubt upon the Iran NIE.

Congress should proceed with its own investigation.

[EFerrari]

49. Bingo.

[Jackpine Radical]

63. I'll see that bingo and

double it.

[madrchsod]

59. why would the cia agents be indicted for obstuction of justice?

the congress can proceed with an investigation at any time but it`s wise to let the first investigation go forward. after the first is concluded the house has more information to decide how to go forward with their investigations and hearings

[EFerrari]

65. Because DeadEye Dick is trying to hang his crimes on CIA.

Nice, isn't it?

[Truth2Tell]

88. You took the words out of my mouth McCamy.

BushCheney has created some powerful enemies at CIA, and they've been getting rather uppity lately. Time for a smack-down.

[EFerrari]

48. "Outside" not "independent" prosecutor.

And, Mr. Conyers is "disappointed".

ETA: link


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2575591

[OzarkDem]

52. Good point

Looks like a whitewash.

[myrna minx]

54. I'd like to feel encouraged, but I don't trust Michael "i don't know if waterboarding is torture"

Mukasey at all.

[LaStrega]

58. *crosses fingers*

[formercia]

60. Compartmentalization works

99.99% of the CIA can honestly say they know nothing about it. The trick is finding the other 0.01% who do know something.

[nashville_brook]

69. the justice dept is going to investigate itself...and this is a good thing?

[Warren Stupidity]

70. Within five minutes all the bad guys were in maximum security

Well all but one. But that one has probably been dead the entire time he has been on the lam. Whitey knows/knew way too much to ever show up in court.

[JackRiddler]

71. kick

[ruiner4u]

73. oh your back..

yay.

[tavalon]

74. So, I heard about this from one of my partners

and I thought he was joking. I'm very confused. I'm also quite a bit saddened that my response to a governmental agent doing his job the way it's supposed to be done is extreme surprise.

Alas, I suffer from grave doubt that this will go anywhere, not because it doesn't have great potential but because I have disappointment fatigue. Fuck, this has been a long seven years, hasn't it? As an aside, I had someone tell me I had sour grapes about Washington because "my side" isn't in the oval office. Yeah, that is so it. :eyes: Time was, I would have blasted him or on a good day, tried to enlighten him. I just said, "Well, that was a short, but stupid conversation." and walked away.

Apparently, I suck at the long view. I liked your discussion about the long view. It makes sense, it just doesn't feel like my heart is in it right now.

[Beam Me Up]

78. Perfect reply.

Short and sweet. Anyone holding that view after all that has gone on for the last seven years isn't worth having any further conversation with, IMO.

[sellitman]

75. Is Mulcasey doing this because bush is a lame duck?

Is he another rat jumping ship and looking to the future in order to keep his job with an incoming Democratic White House? That's my guess.

[kentuck]

76. Linguistics...

He's an "outside investigator" - not a "special investigator". In actuality, he may be an "inside investigator"?

[dave123williams]

79. And it'll only take him a year to get the investigation rolling....

Just long enough for the crooks to get out of town.

[mzmolly]

80. Wow, perahps we'll see justice in the form of handcuffs vs. impeachment?

I'll take it! And, isn't it 'fitting' that the prosecutor has experience with "the mob?"

[Usrename]

82. This is almost as good as another "bipartisan" investigation!

You know, the ones that have been led by Lieberman and Snowe!

Goody! Hurray!

:sarcasm:

[balantz]

83. Perhaps this is a thrown bone diversion

with an eventual scape-goat-individual/s which will keep the demanding populace "satisfied" that justice is being served, while the real crimes continue to get shuffled.

[AikidoSoul]

90. You are hitting it pretty squarely here

And it will be some small fry.

Same ole same ole....

[ElboRuum]

85. Now...

Replace "John H. Durham" and "Durham" with "Chuck Norris".

[MiniMe]

86. They are only investigating the destruction of the tapes, not what was on the tapes

So I'm not holding my breath about anything significant showing up.

[greiner3]

89. Good call;

And I predict that Durham will conclude his investigation in exactly 383 days, the day after bush pardons about 100 people complicit in this fiasco; including himself!